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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by LJG765
(Post 12592394)
It's funny you mention this as I made an effort to rent all three of these. I hadn't heard of them before and when I was looking for movies to watch for this challenge, I happened to see the box set on the Criterion site. Since I enjoy Wallace Shawn, I decided to see if I could get these. Easily found the first two (My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street) but the third is still up in the air if I'll get or not.
I'm almost done watching My Dinner with Andre. Ugh. I saw your comment about really liking this one so I had hopes that I would. I do not. It's everything that I thought Criterion movies were when I first heard about the company-pretentious art films that are all about trying to be high brown and intellectual but coming off as being elitist. I won't say that there aren't a couple points that rang true for me, but overall, it's like the teacher from Peanuts. "Wah Wah Wah Wanh." My view of Criterion has certainly changed but I doubt I'll ever like this film! I'm not sure I'll actually watch the 2nd or the 3rd at this point. I do have Vanya so I might give it a shot in the hopes it is much better than this one but I will be much more likely to turn it off if I don't. I also watched Tootsie the other day. That one was not a favorite either. Some laughs but overall not something I enjoyed. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by Ash Ketchum
(Post 12592469)
If you want a break from fare like MY DINNER WITH ANDRE while staying in the Criterion Challenge, check out John Woo's HARD-BOILED. As far from DINNER WITH ANDRE as you can get. :D
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I just finished The Palm Beach Story. It's very enjoyable, but I don't know why this made it on Criterion when there are so many other screwball movies better than this. Libeled Lady, for instance.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by LJG765
(Post 12592394)
It's funny you mention this as I made an effort to rent all three of these. I hadn't heard of them before and when I was looking for movies to watch for this challenge, I happened to see the box set on the Criterion site. Since I enjoy Wallace Shawn, I decided to see if I could get these. Easily found the first two (My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street) but the third is still up in the air if I'll get or not.
I'm almost done watching My Dinner with Andre. Ugh. I saw your comment about really liking this one so I had hopes that I would. I do not. It's everything that I thought Criterion movies were when I first heard about the company-pretentious art films that are all about trying to be high brown and intellectual but coming off as being elitist. I won't say that there aren't a couple points that rang true for me, but overall, it's like the teacher from Peanuts. "Wah Wah Wah Wanh." My view of Criterion has certainly changed but I doubt I'll ever like this film! I'm not sure I'll actually watch the 2nd or the 3rd at this point. I do have Vanya so I might give it a shot in the hopes it is much better than this one but I will be much more likely to turn it off if I don't. I also watched Tootsie the other day. That one was not a favorite either. Some laughs but overall not something I enjoyed. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by Dr. Mantle
(Post 12593265)
Just like humor, I guess there's no accounting for one's taste in pretentious art films. I love My Dinner with Andre, but hated A Master Builder. I love Beavis and Butt-head, but hate Adam Sandler.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that most people in this thread aren't Adam Sandler fans.
But yes, B&B rocks. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I've been too busy lately to get much viewing in lately, but going to try to make time this last week and a half. Just finished 'In Their Own Voices', off of A Hard Day's Night. It was a short segment on how it was to make the film from the view of the Beatles' themselves.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I was on a "Red" kick over the weekend, watching Howard Hawks' RED RIVER (1948) and Akira Kurosawa's RED BEARD (1965). I sat down to watch Michael Powell's THE RED SHOES (1948) on TCM-HD, but began to fade after half-an-hour. It's a beautiful film to watch--with breathtaking Technicolor photography--but I don't really care much for the rarefied world of backstage ballet. These characters were a bit on the twee side for me (if that's the right word). I guess I'm much more comfortable with a cattle drive (RED RIVER) and the poor benighted denizens of Toshiro Mifune's slum clinic in RED BEARD.
Interestingly, when you line up the titles like this (taking out the "The" from RED SHOES), they all have the same amount of letters: RED BEARD RED RIVER RED SHOES |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Over the weekend, I finished watching Jean Cocteau's The Orphic Trilogy which a friend gave me for Christmas last year. I'd seen and loved Orpheus years ago, and the gift excited me since the set is OOP. Gosh, these are beautiful, intricate, rewarding films. I've been unpacking them in my head all morning.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
If anyone's looking for something new, try the Apu trilogy.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I don't know how many discs came in the Criterion Collection version of A Hard Day's Night, but I just finished everything on the Criterion Collection disc that Netflix sent me. With the exception of the audio commentary, which I thought kind of droned, and I found myself kept thinking the lines in the scenes of the movie to myself, I thought the supplemental material was very enjoyable. Roger Ebert even listed the movie in the same caliber as Citizen Kane, and Casablanca, as far as landmark films. I think it was because the film launched Beatlemania.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by shadokitty
(Post 12593983)
I don't know how many discs came in the Criterion Collection version of A Hard Day's Night, but I just finished everything on the Criterion Collection disc that Netflix sent me. With the exception of the audio commentary, which I thought kind of droned, and I found myself kept thinking the lines in the scenes of the movie to myself, I thought the supplemental material was very enjoyable. Roger Ebert even listed the movie in the same caliber as Citizen Kane, and Casablanca, as far as landmark films. I think it was because the film launched Beatlemania.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by shadokitty
(Post 12593983)
I don't know how many discs came in the Criterion Collection version of A Hard Day's Night, but I just finished everything on the Criterion Collection disc that Netflix sent me. With the exception of the audio commentary, which I thought kind of droned, and I found myself kept thinking the lines in the scenes of the movie to myself, I thought the supplemental material was very enjoyable. Roger Ebert even listed the movie in the same caliber as Citizen Kane, and Casablanca, as far as landmark films. I think it was because the film launched Beatlemania.
Beatlemania was in full force in both the UK (by early '63) and the US (late '63) before filming of A Hard Day's Night began (Mar. '64). The Beatles had been on Sullivan several months prior to the release of the film (Feb. '64) and people were purchasing their recordings in record numbers even before their appearance on the Sullivan show. A Hard Day's Night was primarly produced to garner record sales as the studio felt the film would tank but record sales would more than make up for the loss ($500,000 production budget). They were wrong - it didn't tank and more than made it's pittance of a budget back *without* profits from the soundtrack. Rather than put out some snippets of Ebert's review I'll just link it here as well as a 50th anniversary write up. If you enjoyed the film you should give them a read. It was like Ebert said... as soon as they opened their mouths to speak all the screaming stopped because everyone wanted to hear their voices. The surprise was that the film was funny and very good. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by Ash Ketchum
(Post 12594031)
Actually, Beatlemania was in full swing months before A HARD DAY'S NIGHT came out. I remember it all well. The movie was, in fact, a manifestation of Beatlemania.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I've really been slacking in this challenge. Hard (Day's Night + Boiled) might fit my mood better than some of the Samuel Fuller stuff I had lined up. :D Also, I like to watch challenge stuff in the background at my desk but subtitles just don't work for that. :lol:
Originally Posted by LJG765
(Post 12592394)
I also watched Tootsie the other day. That one was not a favorite either. Some laughs but overall not something I enjoyed.
Originally Posted by The Man with the Golden Doujinshi
(Post 12593897)
If anyone's looking for something new, try the Apu trilogy.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Horror mode is on full. Goal is to watch one Criterion horror film a night leading into October.
I think Videodrome gets the nod tonight.
Originally Posted by davidh777
(Post 12594075)
I've really been slacking in this challenge.
<snip> I love Tootsie, but I can see how the comedy style might not appeal, or if one doesn't like Dustin Hoffman. For me, exasperated Sydney Pollack in the early scenes is pure gold. I agree about Tootsie and the scene with Pollack. He was perfect in this role, and the film certainly seems to still fit into the current social debates. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by Trevor
(Post 12594131)
I agree about Tootsie and the scene with Pollack. He was perfect in this role, and the film certainly seems to still fit into the current social debates.
I am a bit excited. I had asked the library to see if they could hunt down a couple of Criterions for me and I had one come in today. I thought it was going to be the 3rd to the My Dinner with Andre set, but it turned out to be The Canterbury Tales instead. I hope that I do get that one in, but when I started looking into movies I wanted to watch, this one stuck out for some reason. Might get to it tonight but more likely tomorrow. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Can anyonr recommend (or not) the enormous, very expensive 50 Years of Janus Films set...?
Is it - and the book - worth the money? |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by shadokitty
(Post 12594042)
So, landmark film, but not for the reasons I thought. I admit, my film history knowledge isn't up to par with a lot of the forum posters here. :)
Re: TOOTSIE. That's a film I never quite bought. The notion that Dustin Hoffman impersonating a woman would be accepted as a woman by the public and become a big star made no sense to me. Everyone would have looked at him and said, "That's a guy dressed up as a woman. Who's he foolin'?" So I was never able to suspend disbelief for it. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Watching the Thief of Baghdad. This is awesome, kind of like a cross between Jason and the Argonauts and Kismet. How have I never seen this before?
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by davidh777
(Post 12594075)
I've really been slacking in this challenge.
Anyone want to take over the November Comedy Challenge? I guess I should look for the compendium thread and post that question there. |
Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
Originally Posted by davidh777
(Post 12596307)
Watching the Thief of Baghdad. This is awesome, kind of like a cross between Jason and the Argonauts and Kismet. How have I never seen this before?
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I was going to watch Halloween tonight, being in a horror mode, but didn't happen. We recently moved furniture around in our house, and I think my copy has temporarily gotten lost in the shuffle.
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I've seen three Kurosawa films so far for this challenge and I went to the library on Monday to look up books on Kurosawa and read what's been written on THE BAD SLEEP WELL (first-time viewing for this challenge) and RED BEARD. Well, I sure learned something new. I never quite got the significance of the title of BAD SLEEP WELL. I thought it was referring to some previously unknown Japanese cultural quirk, a "sleep well" that went bad. But no, it's a sentence: "The bad sleep well." I.e. morally corrupt men have no trouble getting to sleep at night. "Well" is an adverb not a noun. "Sleep" is a verb, not an adjective. D'uuuhh..... :doh:
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Re: 7th Annual Criterion Challenge - Discussion Thread
I don't know why. Maybe it's my health problems, but I'm just not feeling the challenge this year. I even removed The Seventh Seal from my Netflix queue, and plan to send The Rock back unwatched, in order to get my first shipment of horror movies for next month in time for October.
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